In recent years, mobile phones are spreading dramatically, and models having functions other than the telephone function (referred to hereinafter as “non-telephone functions”) pop up one after another.
The non-telephone functions here include, for example: a digital camera function; an Internet connecting function; a music play function; a radio function; and a TV function.
On the other hand, many mobile phones have limitations in the capacity of the battery. Therefore, as for functions not required to be performed on a steady basis—such as a backlight for LCD display and lighting for illuminated ten keys, a timer is activated immediately after execution of a function resulting from change in the LCD display by the user or operation on the ten keys, for example. Subsequently, the function is automatically terminated after the elapse of a predetermined time period ranging from several seconds to several tens of seconds.
Additionally, in the case of a mobile phone with a radio, the battery is consumed in vain and depleted quickly if the user falls asleep while listening to the radio or forgets to turn off the radio, for example. In order to avoid such occurrences, it is desirable to perform auto-power-off control that automatically turns the power of the radio off after the elapse of a predetermined time period since execution of the radio function.
A mobile phone in which a function as a portable music play device is incorporated is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. 2002-101164.
However, the user would not want the power of the radio function being automatically turned off after the elapse of a predetermined time period since execution of the radio function while still listening to the radio. Besides, the user has to turn on the power every time after the elapse of a predetermined time period, which is too much of a bother.
Given this factor, the present invention aims at offering a mobile phone and an automatic stopping method that reduce occurrences of the unwanted auto power off during the time when a non-telephone function is in execution—for example, the auto power off of the radio function during the time when the user is actually listening to the radio.